The 126-day hostage crisis at the Japanese Embassy in Peru violently ended with a surprise attack from the Peruvian army.
The hostage situation in Peru is one of many recent examples of terrorism. The government sees the rebels as terrorists, while the rebels see themselves as victims of an ineffective government.
Is this incident an example of a legitimate act of freedom strugglers or is it terrorism? Is the Túpac Amaru a terrorist group? Yes or no, terrorism is not a way to solve problems, it just provokes violence.
Even though in recent years terrorist incidents are down, it doesn't mean they don't pose any threat to a country's security or interests. There now exist the so-called superterrorists who have incessantly probed to acquire nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction, manifested by the gas bombings in Tokyo in 1994, killing 12 people and injuring 5,000.
Weeks later, investigators discovered the chemical ingredient cyanide in a toilet in one of Tokyo's train stations. If not found, the reaction of the ingredients would have killed thousands.
In the United States, Oklahoma City represented the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in the country's history.
In Columbus, Ohio, police suspected the white supremacist group Aryan Nation of illegally trying to obtain three vials of the bubonic plague bacteria.
These incidents exemplify a departure from earlier terrorist attacks involving only shootings and pipe bombings with few casualties.
Worldwide, many terrorists are trying to smuggle nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union, and many have been intercepted by the international police. For example, shipments of highly enriched uranium have been seized. It only takes 25 pounds of uranium to make a Hiroshima-sized bomb.
International treaties, negotiations and conventions pledging governments to act against terrorists are helpful in combating the problem. Non-proliferation programs, aimed at restricting terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons, have been effective.
However, terrorism is also simply invoked by cultural, religious and ideological differences, which is hard to solve by treaties. Answers to this simply lie on the individual and in his or her ability to respect, tolerate and accept others.
What each person can do to contribute positively is speak up against terrorism and organized violence, and also make tolerance a part of our culture, race and religion. There's no doubt that we were raised, regardless of our culture and religion, to encourage tolerance and acceptance of others.
The bad thing is that these fundamental principles are not always heeded.
As we grow old, we see many behavioral and mental differences among people. Some cannot accept this and simply push their own beliefs, and turn to violence.
Many have done terrible things in the name of religion, which just shames and disgraces it, as manifested by the suicide bombings in the Middle East.
Terrorists are no match against the states, and history proves it - Northern Ireland is still under British rule, Israel still has control over its territories and Spain's Basque region still doesn't have its own homeland. Terrorism only increases the severity of a problem.
Lasquite is a senior journalism major.